Plate Armor and Chain Mail
Plate armor- a plate or plating of specially hardened steel used to cover warships, tanks, aircraft, fortifications, etc., to protect them from enemy fire. -usually used around the 13-15th centuries -fairly light -mobility -made of iron plates -very good defense against hand to hand combat such as swords spears, crossbows, and longbows -worn over chain main in the 14th century -took a while to put on, likely was put on with help from other people, they had to be prepared long before battle Sword Breaker- a short sword or dagger, with a deeply notched or toothed blade, designed to catch or grapple the opponent's weapon. -2 types of chain sword breakers: Chinese (gun) and the Europeans -paired with the rapier Chain Mail- flexible armor of interlinked metal rings -flexible -before and during 14th century -invented by the Celts -mainly used for defending against spears, axes, and swords Cuir Bouilli-A ridged knee-defense of cuir-bouilli or plate enveloping the knee, over the mail. Cuir-bouilli, leather softened by boiling, during which process it took any form or impression required, and afterwards hardened -similar to plate armor as you only used pieces of it combined with other armor -used in the 13-14th centuries Halberd- a common weapon during the 14th and 15th centuries. Halberds were popular because they were versatile — they included an ax head, a curved hook on one side, and a sharp spike, essentially combining a spear or pike and a battle-ax in one -soldier using it was called a halberdier -first weapon used in Chinese history to not also be used for hunting -used in large open areas where it can be swung -evolved into the fangtianji which spread to Europe - 9-18 feet Morning star- A morning star is any of several medieval club-like weapons consisting of a shaft with an attached ball adorned with one or more spikes. Each used, to varying degrees, a combination of blunt-force and puncture attack to kill or wound the enemy - a combination of a mace and a flail -used in the 15th century -the weight of it was used for crushing bodies with great force -the spikes were used to puncture the bodies while hitting them Helmet-a hard or padded protective hat, various types of which are worn by soldiers, police officers, firefighters, motorcyclists, athletes, and others -first created in 900 B.C. -used to protect the head -helmets were typically used by knights in the medieval era - helmets in order of production: Cervelliere, Spangenhelm, Nasal helmet, Bascinet, Barbute, Close helmet, Combat helmet, Great helm, Coppergate Helmet, Coventry Sallet, Frog-mouth helm, Horned helmet, Kettle hat, Visor (armor). Shield- a broad piece of metal or another suitable material, held by straps or a handle attached on one side, used as a protection against blows or missiles -most shields were made out of linden wood with leather covering both sides -Knights normally had the crest of their kingdom on their shields -used to protect their bodies in close combat and used to protect from arrows or spears from above.